The Original Six teams based in the U.S., with their storied past, have collectively lifted the Stanley Cup 27 times.
Now, they face an undesirable shared milestone.
For the first time in NHL history, the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, and New York Rangers will all miss the playoffs in the same season.
The Red Wings, boasting 11 Stanley Cups, are surpassed in this regard by their Canadian Original Six counterparts: Montreal with 23 titles and Toronto with 13. The Toronto Maple Leafs have already secured a playoff berth, with the postseason commencing on Saturday. The Montreal Canadiens, after losing to Chicago in a shootout on Monday, are close to clinching the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit, under General Manager Steve Yzerman, had been showing steady improvement until this season`s downturn. Yzerman, a Hall of Fame player recruited from Tampa Bay in 2019, is seeing fan patience wear thin.
Just a year after narrowly missing the final Eastern Conference playoff spot via tiebreaker, the Red Wings regressed this season, officially being eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday.
“We had a clear goal coming into the season,” said Detroit`s Lucas Raymond following a 6-4 victory over Dallas. “You know how close we were last year. The only next step is the playoffs. We were very determined to get there. Obviously, we weren’t able to do it.”
The Chicago Blackhawks are positioned last in the Central Division for the third consecutive year, and are only ahead of San Jose in the entire NHL. Earlier this century, they were a dominant force, winning three Cups from 2010-2015, bringing their franchise total to six.
While the struggles of Chicago and Detroit were not unexpected, playoff appearances were anticipated for both the Rangers and Bruins.
The Rangers, who won the Presidents’ Trophy with a league-leading 114 points and reached the Eastern Conference Final the previous year, had aspirations of potentially raising the Cup for the first time in over three decades and the fifth time in their franchise history. Peter Laviolette`s second season as New York`s coach fell short, with the team hovering around a .500 record and falling out of playoff contention in the final week of the regular season.
Boston commenced the season with high hopes but will conclude it with the fewest points in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The rebuilding Bruins traded captain Brad Marchand last month at the trade deadline, parting ways with the last remaining player from their sixth championship team in 2011.
